Oman Air considers Asia growth as break-even date delayed

Oman Air is considering adding more flights to Asia, including to China and South Korea, but is delaying its break even date to beyond this year, its new CE said on Sunday. The state-owned airline, which no longer relies on government funding, had earlier delayed its break even date from 2017 to this year. It could now potentially break even in the next two to three years, CE Abdulaziz al-Raisi said. He later said it was difficult to set a date because stemming losses would partly depend on external factors. Middle East air traffic has been disrupted in recent years by conflict in Iraq and Syria. A political dispute in the Gulf since last June has also barred flights from Qatar to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt. Oman has remained neutral. Raisi said he was concerned about escalating conflict after a warning this month for airlines to exercise caution in the eastern Mediterranean ahead of air strikes by the United States, Britain, and France on Syria. Raisi, a 33-year Oman Air veteran, was appointed as CEO Sunday having held the position in an acting capacity since October. He said the airline would focus on carrying more passengers to and from Oman. "We are not trying to compete with the three big ones," Raisi said, referring to Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways, which focus on connecting passengers through their Gulf hubs.<br/>